Age of Family Reference Person by Age of youngest dependent child by Family status (MSOAs in England and Wales) 2011

Age is derived from the date of birth question and a person's age at their last birthday. Dates of birth that imply an age over 115 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed. Infants less than one year old are classified as 0 years of age.

The Family Reference Person (FRP) is identified by criteria based on the family make up.

In a lone-parent family, the FRP is taken to be the lone parent in a lone-parent family. Otherwise:

In a couple family, the FRP is chosen from the two people in the couple on the basis of their economic activity (in the priority order; full-time job, part-time job, unemployed, retired, other).

If both people have the same economic activity, the FRP is identified as the elder of the two or, if they are the same age, the first member of the couple on the form.

Age of youngest dependent child

Age is derived from the date of birth question and is a person's age at their last birthday, at 27 March 2011. Dates of birth that imply an age over 115 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed. Infants less than one year old are classified as 0 years of age.

A dependent child is any person aged 0 to 15 in a household (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 in full-time education and living in a family with his or her parent(s) or grandparent(s). It does not include any people aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household.

Family status

A family is defined as a group of people who are a:

Married, same-sex civil partnership, or cohabiting couple, with or without child(ren)

Lone parent with child(ren)

Married, same-sex civil partnership, or cohabiting couple with grandchild(ren) but with no children present from the intervening generation

Single grandparent with grandchild(ren) but no children present from the intervening generation

Children in couple families need not belong to both members of the couple. For single or couple grandparents with grandchildren present, the children of the grandparent(s) may also be present if they are not the parents or grandparents of the youngest generation present.